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All About Grinding

centerless grinding is a key step in the manufacture of high-volume locomotive parts such as control rods, pistons, sleeves and valve spools. It can also be applied in the production of fluid control and hydraulics used in the aerospace and medical industry. Centerless grinding essentially involves holding a workpiece between two grinding wheels that are moving in the same direction but at different velocities.

It is performed using centerless grinders that are usually classified depending on the inclination of the machine bed. The bed may be horizontal, which allows easy accessibility when wheel dressing. It may also be angular and vertical for grinding heavy parts that often require a lot more grinding power but lower abrading by the work support.

What Benefits Do Businesses Get from Using a Centerless Grinder?

a. A Higher Productivity Rate

Centerless grinding does not involve clamping of the workpiece, which translates to more time being saved when placing and removing the workpieces. In the case of centreless throughfeed grinding, one workpiece is closely followed by the next one resulting in a considerably shortened auxiliary time.

b. A More Stable Workpiece Support

Through centreless grinding, the workpiece may have its entire length or a considerable portion supported by both the workpiece support and the regulating wheel. This is extremely beneficial, especially for longer workpieces that may have shorter diameters. You can undertake a powerful rough grinding without having to be concerned about torsional stress or bending. The deformations that may arise from the forces of grinding are considerably reduced. The stability provided by centerless grinding ensures high precision grinding at a faster removal rate. This also allows the safe grinding of workpieces that are of low tolerance.

c. Increases Accuracy

The set infeed amount often corresponds to the diameter measurement of the workpiece during the process of centreless grinding. Normally, the infeed amount works radially while the grinding is undergoing between the centers. This, therefore, means that the diameter can be reduced to approximately double that of the infeed amount. This usually translates into a more accurate grinding process. The occurrence of infeed errors due to thermal accumulation in the machine or wearing of the grinding wheel is reduced by half.

d. Saves on Costs

The use of centerless grinders entails little to no maintenance after its initial installation. This is beneficial to most manufacturers as they can invest more time, money and effort on the parts being loaded rather than maintaining the machine itself.

How Much Would It Cost to Have a Centerless Grinding Machine?

There are a variety of centerless grinding machines that exist. To get one that suits your needs, you should consider its precision, rigidity, efficiency, automation and stability. Another important consideration is its price. Machines like the M1050A, M1020A, Mg1020, mm1040s cost between $30,000-$45,000. The more expensive variety like the Mk11150A and the M11100b cost between $120,000-$140,000.

By understanding the process of centerless grinding, its advantages, the price ranges of the involved machines and the important considerations when purchasing them, you may be able to make an informed decision when buying them.